Senator Calls on Apple, Google to Remove TikTok From App Stores

TikTok is facing more heat from government officials in the United States. On Thursday, US Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, called on Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to remove TikTok from both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. 

“TikTok collects vast and sophisticated data from its users, including faceprints and voiceprints,” Bennet said in a letter to the executives Thursday. “Unlike most social media platforms, TikTok poses a unique concern because Chinese law obligates ByteDance, its Beijing-based parent company, to ‘support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work.'”

TikTok is up against growing security concerns in the US. The , and the Biden administration reportedly pushed for the app’s owners to sell its US operations. 

“Given these grave and growing concerns, I ask that you remove TikTok from your respective app stores immediately,” Bennet wrote.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has agreed to testify before a House of Representatives committee in March. A TikTok spokesperson  that the company welcomes the chance to “set the record straight about TikTok, ByteDance, and the commitments we are making to address concerns about U.S. national security.”

Governors across the US have and wireless networks over privacy and data security issues. and are among the states to ban the app from state-owned devices. 

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